Devil May Cry, The Traitor's Bloodline Nero Arc
Chapter five: Hell hath no Fury
Cover Image: Nero being pulled by his arms by both Rozalin and Sapphire.
It was a rainy day ten years ago in Fortuna City and a grave was dug for yet another hero, who lost his life trying to prove his worth to Princess Sapphire. Said hero was an aspiring knight from the Order of the Sword. He was killed by a Demon Lord that terrorized the lands for years.
Sapphire stood over the hero's grave, which stood in front of countless others who died trying to prove their worth and protect her.
The young Sapphire was saddened but no tears came, not since the day she lost her mother.
Nero was looking for Sapphire; he knew that news of the hero's death would prompt her to visit his grave.
Nero was the only orphan who was ever adopted into the royal family and because of that, Sapphire was like family to him, and since the Queen died and the King was busy with his day to day duties, he was all the Princess had to comfort her in her loneliness.
"You're gonna catch a cold." Nero placed his jacket over Sapphire to shield her from the pouring rain.
"I won't let this happen again…" Sapphire swore on the hero's grave, she was tired of having people die in her name. "I'll get stronger…"
"I'll get that demon…" Nero made a promise to Sapphire, he hated seeing his childhood friend this sad, and he knew that as long as the Demon Lord was alive, more moments like this would destroy the Princess' heart. "I promise… I'll never die on you, I'll always protect you."
Sapphire ran to Nero and hugged him tightly, unable to cry but still touched by his declaration. She was always in love with him, as long as she can remember and his promise made her heart race.
Over the years Nero trained hard and through diligence and his natural skill with the blade, he became one of the Order's most powerful knights. Sapphire trained as well, becoming a fearsome and strong warrior in her own right.
Then one day, Nero returned from his latest mission, bloody and beaten but still victorious. He delivered the Demon Lord's head to the Order's headquarters. He had avenged all of the heroes and succeeded where they failed. But more importantly, he kept his promise to Sapphire.
Sapphire was beyond happy to see Nero return alive but simultaneously furious that he took the suicide mission in the first place. But from that moment on, the feelings of love she's always had for the Holy Knight intensified and she remembered his promise to her.
"I'll never die on you…"
In the present, Nero, Rozalin and Adell headed back to Holt Village with Friday's help, but the party now had a new member, Sapphire Rhodonite, the princess of Fortuna and Nero's first childhood friend, but things were not well and the seeds of jealousy were planted in the hearts of the two Princesses.
"So… you're childhood friends with Princess Sapphire as well?" Adell asked Nero, shocked that the Holy Knight knew the Princess of Fortuna on a personal level. "Well, that's all well and good… but won't a certain someone be upset?" The Demon Hunter gestured at Rozalin.
"Yeah, we were practically raised together; she's like a superhumanly strong sister to me." Nero spoke fondly of Sapphire, remembering all they've been through over the years, despite the Princess of Fortuna's occasional violent outbursts. "Well, isn't Rozie always upset?" The Holy Knight joked, thinking about the Demon Princess' generally irritable attitude towards the most trivial things.
"Nero… do you remember the last time you pissed her off?" Adell recalled Rozalin's previous outburst at Holt Village and how terrifying she was.
"Right…" Nero remembered the Rozalin's rampage as well as the malefic aura she exuded, wanting to avoid a similar situation, the Holy Knight decided to clear things up with the Demon Princess.
As Nero and Adell talked about the newest member of their party, Rozalin and Sapphire were glaring at each other, since they were both so obviously in love with the Holy Knight, a bitter rivalry was imminent.
"I am Nero's childhood friend and his only princess!" Rozalin glared daggers at Sapphire, the Demon Princess felt as if her new rival was challenging her claim to the Holy Knight. "He promised himself to me."
"That's it?" Sapphire smirked at Rozalin, still not convinced that she was even telling the truth about her relationship with the Holy Knight. "Nero and I are closer than family. We did everything together when we were kids, sleeping, playing and even bathing!" The Princess of Fortuna crossed her arms with a cocky smile on her face. "Beat that!"
"I suppose being like family to him limits your relationship." Rozalin was now more confident than ever, seeing that she held the advantage as the Holy Knight's love interest. "I'll have you know that Nero and I shared our first kiss."
"Wh-What?!" Sapphire could barely contain her anger, feeling that the Holy Knight betrayed their long history together by kissing Rozalin. "Nero…."
After talking to Adell, Nero went to check on Rozalin and Sapphire, not knowing the sheer terror that waited for him.
"You girls done chatting?" Nero approached Rozalin and Sapphire, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw next, the Princess of Fortuna had an aura that burned with murderous intent.
"Nero…." Sapphire grabbed the Holy Knight's arm with a bone crushing grip. "You kissed that girl?" The Princess of Fortuna glared angrily at her childhood friend as a jealous aura emanated from her. "Your first kiss…"
"Hang on! I'm not even sure it happened!" Nero tried to calm Sapphire down, knowing all too well just how violent the Princess of Fortuna could get when she was angry or jealous.
Rozalin shot a glare at Nero as she heard him deny their precious kiss once again, angered at his constant refusal to acknowledge the moment they shared.
"Your first kiss was with her and not me…" Sapphire glared at Nero as her grip tightened around the Holy Knight's arm. "You cheating idiot!" The Princess of Fortuna yelled out as she punched him right on the face, sending him flying to a nearby wall.
"What the… hell…?" Nero asked confusedly before passing out, still not understanding why Sapphire was that angry at him.
A few hours later, Nero was asleep in the guest room of Adell's house and there by his bedside, was Rozalin, who wore an upset expression on her face as she thought of the Holy Knight's relationship with Sapphire.
"Rozie?" Nero woke up and saw Rozalin staring at him with her usual irritated and haughty expression.
"Hmph!" Rozalin crossed her arms and turned away from Nero, trying to give him the silent treatment in the form of her usual snobby dismissiveness.
"You still mad?" Nero saw Rozalin's angry expression, but despite her dismissive behaviour, the Demon Princess sat at his bedside, the contrast between her attitude and actions confusing the Holy Knight. "Wait… were you here this whole time?"
"O-Of course not!" Rozalin blushed as she looked into Nero's eyes, now realizing that she hadn't left him since he was knocked out, her blush intensified once she thought back to the things she had said in the heat of her argument with Sapphire. "D-Don't get too full of yourself."
Nero did nothing but smile at Rozalin, it took him a while since they met, but he had grown to notice and appreciate her cute side. Part of him hated not being able to remember someone like her and he wondered what their relationship would be had he not forgotten and had they not been separated.
"Get a grip, Nero! She's the Overlord's daughter for God's sake!" Nero tried to force the intrusive yet sentimental thought out of his mind. He did not dislike Rozalin, far from it, he grew quite fond of her, but his aversion to close relationships always got the better of him.
Rozalin was quiet, come to think of it, this is the first time she's really been alone with Nero. Between his sparring sessions with Adell and playing with Taro and Hanako, the Holy Knight and the Demon Princess never really had a moment to themselves.
Rozalin's feelings for Nero were clear, though she tried to pass them off as possessiveness for a competent servant; her actions betrayed her denying words. In the two instances where the Holy Knight's memories returned, the Demon Princess broke her haughty act to show genuine happiness and she was jealous when he would pay attention to other girls, mainly Friday and Sapphire.
Rozalin endured many lonely years without Nero and on some days she tried to hate him for leaving her, hoping that it would make her feel better about his absence, but her love for him was too strong to make that work. Her father, the Overlord would often try to bring in "friends" for her, but they were nothing more than handpicked servants around her age and they did nothing to fill the void left by the Holy Knight.
"Nero…?" Rozalin's tone was soft as she called for the Holy Knight's attention, her face still glowing with a red blush. "Wh-Who do you like more… me or Sapphire?" The Demon Princess let her jealousy take over as she questioned him.
"Well… I don't pick favourites and I've known Sapphire longer, but…" Nero saw the hurt and uncertainty in Rozalin's eyes, not expecting such an expression from the Demon Princess. "I need to bring you to your father, so right now… you need me more than she does."
"What do you mean?" Rozalin looked into Nero's eyes intently, listening to what he had to say to her.
"Well, how do I put it?" Nero scratched the back of his head nervously as he tried in his own way to comfort Rozalin. "Sapphire's crazy strong and you're… sheltered, so you need me more than she does right now. Also… it feels good being needed." The Holy knight smiled awkwardly but sincerely at the Demon Princess. "Before this mission and meeting you, I had trouble getting motivated to do anything. Guess I need you too in a way. My life's never had this kind of direction before."
Tears gathered in Rozalin's eyes as she heard what seemed to be new version of Nero's declaration to protect her. The Demon Princess let go of her noble demeanour and hugged the Holy Knight, happy to hear that she meant that much to him.
Nero was surprised at Rozalin's sudden gesture of affection, but he returned it nonetheless, feeling some of the emotions he had during the dreams of his past with her.
Adell opened the door to see Rozalin and Nero hugging. A wry smile came upon his face when as he saw the affectionate exchange between his two companions.
"So, you guys finally got a room?" Adell commented on the romantic scene before him, enjoying the irony of their constant denial of feelings for one another.
Rozalin blushed red and suddenly pushed Nero away, embarrassed to have been caught in such a position with the Holy Knight.
Nero let out a sigh of relief, he was glad it was Adell that caught them. He knew that if it was Sapphire or Hanako; there would be hell to pay.
Later that night, Rozalin was asleep in her room when she had a dream and in it, she wore unfamiliar armoured robes and she wielded two curved sabres. Her hair was pale and her eyes glowed with a malefic red and black hue.
She was on a battlefield, surrounded by the corpses of many demons and walking away from her was a man that resembled Nero, only he looked older and more refined, dressed in an ornate purple coat with a red trim, his white hair combed and on his back, was a large curved sword with a twisted appearance.
Rozalin reached out for the mysterious man in her dreams but he kept walking further away into the battlefield and towards what looked like a twisted angelic statue animated by pure, writhing malice given material form.
"Face me, Devil!" The mysterious man in purple yelled out to the statue as he brandished his large blade against his titanic foe.
"Don't go…" Rozalin spoke silently and sorrowfully at the mysterious man's departure. Every step he took seemed to form a crack in her heart as she was consumed by sadness.
The dream ended, and Rozalin was fixated on the man's resemblance to Nero and the pain she felt when he walked away from her to face what looked like the embodiment of darkness itself. The feeling was familiar, it was the same feeling she had when the Holy Knight left her all those years ago.
It was now morning in Holt Village and the party save for Rozalin, who was still asleep, gathered outside the house to meet with Mom, Dad, Taro and Hanako. The rays of sun kissed illuminated the village, giving it an innocent appearance despite the demonized residents.
"So, you still haven't found Overlord Zenon yet?" Dad was growing impatient with the search for the demon that cursed them.
"Can you really trust that lady? Maybe she's just playing with you." Taro expressed his distrust towards Rozalin. He read stories about how most female demons enjoyed manipulating people under a benevolent guise.
"Of course I can't trust her. She's a demon." Though she was a demon herself, Mom remembered reading texts about the devious nature of Hell's denizens. "That's why we have summoning rituals."
"So, Adell, what do you think?" Dad turned his attention to his son in regards to whether Rozalin was trustworthy or not.
"Well…" Adell huddled up the rest of his family to whisper about Rozalin's intentions. "She's really sweet on Nero, there's no way she's gonna double cross us." The Demon Hunter smirked as he recalled all the instances where the Demon Princess showed her true colours.
"What are you guys talking about?" Nero noticed Adell's family all huddled up and whispering; only being able to partially hear where the conversation was going. "Who's sweet on who?"
"Nero! I woke the lady up for you!" Hanako approached the Holy Knight with a wide smile on her face, expecting praise in the form of a kiss as she blushed and closed her eyes.
"Good job, kid." Nero simply smiled and patted Hanako's head gently, earning him a disappointed frown from the anxious little girl.
"I saw Nero and the Princess hugging last night." Taro blurted out with a mischievous grin plastered on his face, knowing what effect those words would have on his love-struck sister.
"Cheater!" Hanako angrily kicked Nero's shin and stuck his tongue out at him in a fit of childish jealousy.
Nero winced in pain at the force of Hanako's kick, but before he could go down to rub his aching shin, he felt an armoured hand grip his shoulder with almost bone breaking force.
Nero looked back to see that the hand belonged to Sapphire, who looked as if a malefic purple aura was emanating from her and her hair floated ominously as her eyes glowed with rage.
"You were… hugging that other woman?" Sapphire's fingers dug into Nero's shoulder, the word 'other' said with pure venom in her voice.
Nero was speechless and frightened, he knew how jealous and possessive Sapphire was when other girls were involved, but he never truly knew why, always assuming most women just didn't like one another. He them had an idea that might very well save his life, acting quickly upon it; he turned around and kissed the Princess of Fortuna's forehead.
"Y-You remember our making up ritual…" Sapphire's deathly aura faded and her face was now lit by a warm blush and smile. That gesture always made her feel better, even when they were kids.
"How can I forget? You're like a little sister to me." Nero smiled at Sapphire, glad to see her happy but also relieved to see her intense rage subside.
"You really know how to ruin a good mood…" Sapphire's smile turned into a disappointed pout as she heard the words 'little sister' to describe Nero's thoughts on their relationship.
After Rozalin was finished with all of her morning rituals, she went down to meet Nero and the rest of the party, but she looked like she had been crying in her sleep, her hair messier than usual and her clothes slightly crumpled.
"You okay?" Nero noticed that Rozalin wasn't her usual vain and polished self; it was unlike the Demon Princess to show this level of depression.
"Don't go…" Rozalin let out a sad whisper. Seeing Nero's face conjured the image of the man in purple and his heart-breaking footsteps towards the nightmarish figure in her dreams.
"What was that?" Nero heard the faintest whisper from Rozalin and he hoped he could find out just what made her look so sad.
"Oh, it's nothing…" Rozalin forced a smile as she tried to forget the events of her nightmare. She told herself they were nothing like Nero's dreams of their time together, but a part of her still believed that there was an ominous importance to it.
Sapphire eyed Nero and Rozalin suspiciously as she saw, clear as day, the Holy Knight's concern for the Demon Princess. The Princess of Fortuna knew that those two did not spend nearly as much time together as they did, but she was jealous of how close they were despite that.
Classes took place within the Evil Academy, but all the good students never showed up, it was a strange reverse logic that only demons truly understood.
There were only four people in total that occupied the classroom, there was Evil Academy's newest teacher, Dante and three more figures, the first was a young girl with pink hair and matching eyes, human in appearance save for her pointed ears, horns and thick paddle-like tail. She dressed in a black and white dress with a skull dangling from her neck; the second was a woman with black hair and magenta coloured eyes, dressed in a revealing version of a traditional ninja's outfit and the third was a woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail hair and black eyes, dressed in a white and pink kimono.
The three girls stared dreamily at Dante, who just slept on his chair with his legs up on the desk and a magazine over his face. The sound of the ring woke the Devil Hunter up from his nap and he stood up and noticed his female students.
"Well, that's it for today." Dante shot a playful smirk at the three girls, showing off his trademark humorous attitude that he was so well-known for in the Demon and Human worlds alike. "Catch ya later, Raspberyl, Kyoko and Asuka." The Devil Hunter winked before leaving the room.
"I'll be here tomorrow like a real delinquent, Mr. Dante." Raspberyl stared lovingly at the Devil Hunter as he left the room, her deep crush on him made very apparent.
As an aspiring delinquent, Raspberyl admired the legend of Sparda deeply. The story of a kind and compassionate demon that rebelled against the Devil Emperor Mundus was every delinquent's fantasy.
And Dante's reputation was similar. Though he was lazy and outright flippant at times, like a demonic honour student, the Devil Hunter's actions told a different story. He defeated Mundus as well as other powerful demons and best of all; he did it for completely selfless reasons and behind his sarcastic mask was the true heart of a hero.
Raspberyl was head over heels for Dante, but the Devil Hunter never paid attention to her feelings, whether he knew about them or not.
Dante walked the halls of the Evil Academy and to him; there were so many memories to be had, good and bad, mostly bad and utterly stressful. He got to be as rude and lazy as he wanted and better yet, he was rewarded for it. But being the Son of Sparda in a school of demons wasn't exactly an easy thing.
But the reverie of Dante's thoughts were broken by the sound of a gunshot and a speeding bullet that followed. The Devil Hunter took out his Rebellion with lightning fast speed and he cut the hot projectile out of the air.
The gunshot came from a strict-looking woman with long blond hair and red eyes dressed in a black and red military uniform decorated with bronze gears and a matching hat. The stranger stared at the Devil Hunter with intense scorn in her eyes.
"And…. the crazy ex shows herself." Dante smirked at the strict-looking woman as he planted Rebellion on the ground, speaking with a sense of mocking familiarity. "Oh wait… that's right. We only went out that one time. Ain't that right, Sally?"
"It's Salvatore the Magnificent!" The strict-looking woman spoke angrily in a thick German accent. She hated jokes and nicknames, but the thing she hated most right now was Dante. "And you will pay for breaking up with me!"
"Breaking cup with you?" Dante smirked as he made fun of Salvatore's accent, something he enjoyed doing even as a young student at the academy. "Come on, bring it on, bro!" The Devil Hunter mocked the strict-looking woman.
"Don't… call...me… bro!" Salvatore was shaking with anger, not only did Dante completely disregard their 'relationship', he totally ignored her femininity. This was the last straw for the strict-looking woman, now she fully intended to beat the Devil Hunter into submission.
"Damn, so stiff… guess that's why we didn't work out." Dante flippantly joked as he tossed Ebony and Ivory into the air and caught them, making a stylish pose. "Guess a crazy party will loosen you up. Let's rock baby!"
It was a standoff at the Evil Academy, the cocky and laid back Dante versus the strict and serious Salvatore, the Devil Hunter faced demons, overlords and even Mundus himself, but even with all that under his sleeve, one thing was for sure, he had terrible luck with women.
Author's note: After a long wait, the newest chapter is done! This chapter is a character development chapter and as I promised, Sapphire's past played a role and Dante's shenanigans in the Evil Academy begins.
Now Nero is starting to realize that he has feelings for Rozalin, but he refuses to admit it outright, even to himself. And the poor guy has no idea how much Sapphire needs him…
Rozalin relives Zenon's most painful memory and quite possibly the very moment she became a 'Being of Solitude', this event happens in far greater detail sometime during the Sparda Arc. It's a striking parallel on how they were both left behind by the ones they loved.
Sapphire's relationship with Nero mirrors his relationship with Kyrie in Devil May Cry 4, she even has Kyrie's voice actress! I'm considering writing an alternate ending where Sapphire and Nero end up together.
Dante and Salvatore's past relationship will be explored during the Vergil Arc when Dante's high school days are featured and let's just say it's pure comedy. Salvatore was looking for a relationship and Dante was… well, being Dante.
Nero will receive a harem as time goes on, so far members include Rozalin, Sapphire, Hanako and Friday, but Yukimaru is planned as well once she appears.
Next chapter, the party enters Zenon's palace and meet Tink. Dante will have some more trouble to deal with and we might see another Vergil flashback.
Now, I will preview a prologue excerpt for my newest planned project for the series for Disgaea 5.
Devil May Cry: Justice or Vengeance?
Prologue: Void Dark's contract
Cover Image: Sparda facing off against Void Dark, Bloodis and Majolita.
In a parallel world a fierce battle was fought in the Gorgeous Netherworld and the battlefield was covered in a sea of shattered armour and demonic corpses. Standing in the middle of the carnage was a young man with combed down white hair and icy blue eyes, the warrior wore on him a tuxedo styled purple long coat with a red and silver trim and small framed glasses rested under his eyes. He wielded the Force Edge, a silver sword with a skull pommel, which was now covered in blood.
The man's name was Sparda, an aspiring Devil Knight and one of the last surviving members of the Archdemon race. He now stood alone on the battlefield with Void Dark's strongest generals.
The first general was Bloodis, a hulking black- armoured demon who was Void Dark's right hand man and a brutal hand to hand fighter.
The second was Majolita, a young girl with lilac hair and wine-red eyes dressed in a revealing black and orange outfit with skulls adorning her hair and she wielded a staff with what looked like a stuffed cat on the end. She was Void Dark's necromancer and was responsible for bolstering their ranks.
Bloodis made the first move, charging at Sparda and assaulting him with a flurry of lightning fast punches from his heavy metal fists.
Sparda held his sword to his side and he summoned a magic circle to shield himself from Bloodis' flurry of attacks.
With each punch Bloodis delivered, the white seal turned progressively redder until it crackled with dark lightning and when enough energy was absorbed from the strikes, Sparda struck the seal with his hand and released his opponent's own power back to him, sending the general flying to a nearby rock.
Majolita saw an opening as Sparda's seal was depleted from the attack and, with a malicious smirk; she waved her staff and fired a large beam of concentrated dark energy at the Devil Knight.
Sparda waited for the last possible moment to reactivate his seal, knowing that if he was just a split second too late, he'd be dead. The moment the beam was close enough, he activated his magic circle and released the absorbed magic into himself.
Majolita was confident that she had completely obliterated Sparda, but in the wake of the blast, she saw a being clad in smouldering four-eyed black armour that glowed with a powerful purple aura.
The armour shattered as a purple blur escaped it and Majolita found herself face to face with Sparda once the blur manifested in front of her.
Majolita closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable when Sparda just walked past her and straight towards Void Dark.
"I won't let you have this world… someone precious to me lives here!" Sparda declared as he raised the Force Edge and brandished it against Void Dark, the fire in his eyes showing his powerful conviction. Though he knew he was exhausted and no match for the Demon Emperor.
Bloodis recovered from the attack and he stood up to meet Sparda, Majolita and Void Dark, heavily injured but still able to fight.
"Why die in vain here when you can serve me, Sparda the Archdemon." Void Dark smirked condescendingly at the Devil Knight, knowing that he had a weakness that was ready to be exploited. "I can swat you away and destroy this world, but I offer you a place in my army, if you accept, I will not touch this Netherworld." The Demon Emperor's evil expression intensified as more of the Lost Army gathered behind him, replacing all that were destroyed.
Sparda was disgusted at himself for letting it come to this, his pride and honour as a knight and his hatred for Void Dark told him to die with dignity instead of submitting, but love for someone special in his life told him that he had to do whatever it took to ensure that the Gorgeous Netherworld was spared.
"I… accept…" Sparda spoke bitterly as he dropped his sword and forced himself to kneel to Void Dark. "Forgive me… Seraphine…" The Devil Knight's actions filled him with guilt, he was about to abandon someone who needed him.
"We leave immediately." Void Dark gave Sparda a triumphant smirk, knowing that he had broken a powerful Archdemon to his will and effectively bought his loyalty.
Far away from the battlefield, Seraphine, a young woman with pink hair and purple eyes dressed in a frilly black and white dress watched the Lost Army retreat from her Netherworld, but one thing was wrong, Sparda did not return to her.
"Sparda…" Seraphine started to cry, she thought she lost her beloved childhood friend to the Lost Army and their leader Void Dark. They were powerful, so powerful that only one outcome came to mind, that the Devil Knight died pushing them back.
Years into Void Dark's Service, Sparda favoured the use of his Yamato katana over the Force Edge and he took to wearing a dark cyan armoured long coat and a featureless helmet to obscure his facial features as a way of coping with the guilt of having to commit atrocities in the name of the Lost. On that day, the Devil Knight took the name and title 'Lost General Rodan'
Now to answer my reviewers
Zero-Nightmare
Thanks!
All those scenes will be integrated into their respective arcs, only expect them to be more refined this time around.
I hope you enjoyed this one!
Demonic Parade
And things are gonna get even CRAZIER from now on!
Duncan0Idaho
I went with italics in later chapters, thanks for the advice, though.
Anonymous/Demon's Anarchy of Pride
Your versions have been amazing, keep up the great work!
InfernoOverlord
That's an awesome Idea! Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy my stories and I'll try my best to keep them good. I'll check yours out right away.